This is the second year that "Citizens for Clean Water" was denied access to the July 4th Parade. We have a community truck with a "water buffalo", 500 gallons plastic container, to hold water needed by families in our county who lost their water after near-by gas drilling.

This truck was bought by donations and is parked in Dimock on private property and communally used and supported by families in Dimock, Brooklyn, Franklin Forks.

We wanted to put our water truck in the Parade with signs of our group "Citizens for Clean Water" and signs about water to let folks know of our service and it is in part of our county communities.

The theme for this year's Parade involves "Land of the Free and Home of the Brave, the Bill of Rights, Respect for Land and Home".

I called the head of the Parade Committee, Larry Kelly, Esq., and asked to be in the Parade and he categorically denied us and told us last year, "it's controversial". This year, he just said, "no", and hung up.

The Kiwanis, Lions and Rotary who sponsor this Parade on the Fourth of July seem to have their own restrictive definition of "Bill of Rights", like the right to free speech and right to assemble and want to keep out parts of our community that don't feel comfortable or fit an image they like to promote.

Well, we are here and people in our county are suffering since gas drilling came to town, they are losing their water throughout parts of our county and need to be seen and heard and not disregarded.  

We are just as much citizens of this county as anyone else.

Let others know, that the "Land of the Free" and the "Bill of Rights" is only for some, not for all.  

Sincerely,

Vera Scroggins

Brackney, Pa.